Play Thing
by Saeraleis
Summary: Adaliene was raised as a science experiment, living under strict regulations and terrible punishments for rule-breaking. When she learns why they held her captive and that they have others, she will risk everything she has to free them and herself.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Breathing

I feel like some psychotic kid's play thing. For as long as I can remember, I've been their damn prisoner, or "test subject" as they prefer. I prefer prisoner. They prod around at my intestines. They force me to do physical exercise until I black out. They have this shock-collar around my neck that shocks me to a point where I can't breathe when I do something wrong. And they lock me in my "room" whenever they're not using me. It can't necessarily be considered that though. It's a cramped room lacking in color with an excessively bright light, a bleach white bed, table, chair, and empty bookshelf. Once a week they fill it with history books about the Greek gods. So lame.

I don't remember a life before coming here. When I asked, they told me my dad sold me to them because he didn't have the money to support himself, let alone himself and the unexpected daughter my unknown mom dumped on him. He didn't really have any other choice. If he put me into an orphanage, he would've starved to death. If he had kept me, we both would have. He still doesn't have a lot of money, but he's alive. Sometimes they let him visit me, but I can't see him. I can only listen to his rough but warm and caring voice over the intercom in my "room", promising he'll get me out soon and take me away.

But to do that, dad needs money, which he doesn't have. He needs double what they gave him for me when I was a baby to get me back. He's getting closer, but it'll still take a few years, because once he has the money to buy my freedom, he still needs money for food.

One of the guards, or "scientists", knocks on my door, interrupting my thoughts.

"Yes?" I ask.

"Physicals," he replies simply.

I bite back a groan and nodded. Groaning will only get me shocked, and then I'll have to do it anyways, but it'll be twice as fierce as it was planned. He handed me a hair tie and I pulled my wavy, shoulder-length hair back out of my face, revealing my grey eyes. He nods and leads me to the track.

The track is outside, in a large yard with a ton of equipment, an easy place to make an escape right? Wrong. There's a chain-link face that barricades the large field from the dense forest beyond. It looks like an easy obstacle to overcome, but you don't realize it until you decide to try and climb over it and get electrocuted by what feels like Death itself. I tried to climb it once. I was shocked by the fence once and by my accursed collar multiple times.

This prison knows no kindness. Only pain. Pain and games of torment.

In this place, the only freedom I have, is breathing.


	2. Chapter 2

The guards lead me outside to the track. It's a cold, murky day. Dark clouds loom above, threatening to release their water to the dry earth. The guards start me out with running 4 laps with no breaks then let me drink a bit of water before forcing me to do 30 pushups and sit ups. Each.

My arms give way afterwards, and I take a face plant to the dry grass beneath me. They help me up and I stumble, unable to support my weight in my condition. The guards sigh.

"Take her back to her room." says the taller one.

The short one nods. I frown. They don't usually let me go in until I pass out. I look around and I know why they're sending me in early. On the other side of the electric fence stands a woman, staring at me, watching my every move. I want to run to her. To ask her to free me. But I can't. Then she does something amazing.

She touches the fence as it hums with electricity.

* * *

><p>While I sit in my room, pretending to read for the observers I can't see but know are there, I think about the strange woman. <em>Who was she? Why was she staring at me? Did she want something from me? Was she going to free me?<em>

It gets me feeling hopeful. I feel even more hopeful when I hear my dad's voice through the speakers in my room.

"Adaliene?" he says.

"Hey dad." I reply. "What's up?"

"I'm taking you away from here," he answers.

It takes me a minute to register what he said, then I feel a grin creep across my face.

"When?" I ask, excited to finally meet him, face - to - face.

"Now."

I jump to my feet and try to pull the door open. It's still locked, so I sit on my bed and wait for someone to open it for me. When the door is pulled open, it's opened by a man. He has brown hair speckled with grey hair. His brown eyes glow with warmth. And his arms are open for me.

"Dad!" I whisper before hugging him tightly.

He chuckles and I feel his arms around me in a warm embrace. I smile up at him and he smiles back. Then he leads me out of the place and into a car. He shows me how to buckle up and then gets in the driver's seat and we drive away.

As we drive, I see the same woman I had seen at the research place 5 times. She's along the road or in a coffee shop or talking to someone. But every time, she's watching me and dad.

Always watching…

* * *

><p>Sorry the update took so long. I've been grounded during the week. So yeah, updates'll be slow. Sorry guys!<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

We don't get home for two hours. Two hours. My dad drove two hours once a month for as long as I can remember just to see me. He really cares, doesn't he?

Anyways, he leads me into the cramped apartment. Dirty plates are piled up in the sink. Clothes and trash litter the floor. Dust covers a lot of the furniture. The air is icy and dry like the air outside, only more so, and it causes me to shiver violently. Dad sits on the couch and I join him.

"This place is a mess." I say flat out.

He chuckles. "I know, and I apologize for that. I've been working so many jobs and sleeping that haven't had the chance to clean at all."

I frown. "How much sleep have you been getting?" I ask.

"Maybe five hours a night." He says.

I can tell it's true. He looks tired, the heavy bags under his eyes making him look worse. So I sigh and find the bed in the mess. There's only one bed and it's a twin bed. I lead him to the bed and ask for a list of all the jobs he has, the times he works there, the address, and his bosses' names. Then while he naps, I quit 2 of the jobs he had for him and take over one myself, and then manage a promotion for him on the last job.

I sit down beside my dad. In his sleep, his face is timeless. I softly stroke his cheek as he sleeps. I smile to myself. I'm glad he finally got the money to free me. This is nice. I am happy. I know I'll probably end up going to school and I'll probably flunk out, but I don't care. I'm just glad I can be with him. He is my father, after all.

Then I screamed when I see the woman from the lab outside the window, a window that is five stories up. And there is nothing under her feet to hold her at the window. Dad woke up as I throw the window open.

"Athena?" Dad says.

This really confuses me.

"Who the hell are you?" I yell.

Her response almost frightens me.

"Your mother."

"So let me get this straight." I say, an hour later after a lot of explanations. "You my mother."

Mom nods.

"And you're the Greek goddess of wisdom."

She nods again.

"And you didn't bother to get me out of there? Or help dad find the money? Or at least make your existence known and visit?"

Mom sighs and sits beside me on the lumpy couch.

"Adaliene, you must understand that I have my reasons for not telling you. There are rules set by Zeus. I'm not supposed to have any contact with my children. None of the gods are allowed to. Only Apollo ignores the law and that's because he's fried his brain from loud music and too much sun. Or he would've if he had a brain to fry in the first place…" she says.

"Then why are you here now?" I ask.

"I'm here because you're a big part of a prophecy that I had to warn you."

"What?"

This is really hurting my head. I need an aspirin.

Then my mom tells me the prophecy:

"_The imprisoned child of wisdom,_

_Must earn her true freedom._

_Her bonds of guidance must be cut._

_And then she shall meet the deathly mutt..."_

"It's incomplete." she says.

"Why?" I ask.

"It's complicated."

"I'm complicated. Tell me."

Mom sighs.

"The Oracle of Delphi has fallen silent."

Dad stiffens.

"Is that bad? What's the Oracle of Delphi? Why has it fallen silent?"

"That's just it. We don't know. We think it links to the prophecy and if we don't have the Oracle of Delphi, something's wrong."

"What's wrong?"

"We don't know."


	4. Chapter 4

"What do I have to do?" I ask.

My mom stares at me like I'm mad, which is true, trying being locked up in a prison for you whole life and come out 15 years later with you sanity intact.

"What are you talking about, Adaliene?" Mom asks me. "I wasn't suggesting that you should do this. I was suggesting that you hide so you don't have to worry about it.

"Mom, we both know that there's no running from a prophecy," I say calmly. "I want to help. I want to be free, not cooped up for the rest of my life."

My mom sighs. She looks at me and I know she can tell that I'm serious.

"Very well," she says. "I know what you need to do to get this started. You need to find Apollo. He'll know what's wrong with the Oracle. If I'm correct, he'll be in the Caribbean this time of year. Probably the Virgin Islands…"

"Why the Virgin Islands?" I ask.

"The word Virgin sets him off," Mom tells me. "Like I said, he has no brains. He's not even listening to this conversation. He likes the Sun, girls, and the beach. You're my daughter. You can find him easily." She kisses my forehead then instructs dad and I to close our eyes and count to 7.

When we open our eyes again, she's gone. I sigh softly and sit next to my dad. I softly rest my head on his shoulder.

"How am I going to get to the Virgin Islands without any money…?" I sigh.

Suddenly, a box appears in front of me. I slowly pick it up and open it. Inside, there is a huge amount of cash and a note.

"_Go to Camp Half-Blood first._

_Mom_"

I frown.

"Camp Half-Blood?"

"I know where it is," Dad tells me. "I'll take you, but not now. Tomorrow maybe, but not now. I just got my little girl back and she's about to leave me again…"

I hug him tightly and kiss his cheek.

"You're my dad. I'll never leave you."

He smiles slightly at that, obviously comforted by it, and nods.

"Ok. I'll take you tomorrow, but first, I need to be with my almost long-lost daughter." I smile when he says that and we spend the rest of the day together, just sitting there, talking, being happy in each other's presence, and not worrying about the future. Right now, we just want each other's company.

And that's exactly what we got.


End file.
